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BLC Panel: Israel’s Silicon Wadi Delivers for Silicon Valley

We all read in the news that Israel is a hotbed of innovation and that 'Silicon Wadi' is a vibrant technology hub just like our home of Silicon Valley. But why? Even the Bay Area’s tech pioneers look for growth by acquiring businesses based in Israel. Is it the culture that tolerates risk and accepts failure?  Is it the way Israelis approach problems?

Join BLC as four executives in the field discuss the relationship between Silicon Valley and Silicon Wadi and the unique contributions of Israeli entrepreneurs to this tech party.

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By February 20: $18 for Federation Campaign donors of $500+ ($365+ for those age 36 and under); $36 for all others.

February 20 and thereafter: $25 for Federation Campaign donors of $500+ ($365+ for those age 36 and under);  $50 for all others.

Interests: , Israel, Young Adults
Date: 
February 24, 2015
TIME: 
12:00 AM
Apple Calendar Outlook Google (online)
Location: 
Orrick
405 Howard Street
City: 
San Francisco

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Organized By: 
Business Leadership Council of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund
Event Contact Person: 
BLC Manager
blc@sfjcf.org
415-369-2875
Speakers: 
Shuly Galili, Partner, UpWest Labs
Shuly is the co-founder of UpWest Labs. She has spent the last decade building Silicon Valley’s gateway to Israel. Working with the Valley’s leading tech giants, investors and business leaders she helped found the California Israel Chamber of Commerce (CICC) and created the ultimate platform for ongoing business exchange, serving a network of over 10,000 companies. Under Shuly’s leadership as Executive Director, CICC had significant impact on its members’ success in securing millions in venture capital, establishing US/Israel offices and R&D Centers and branding Israel’s emerging tech industry in Silicon Valley.
The most significant impact of Shuly’s work at CICC was advancing Israel’s leading tech entrepreneurs. Recognizing their challenge in opening new markets overseas, bridging cultural divide, acquiring business know-how and raising capital, Shuly created and implemented programs that accelerated over 500 Israeli startups innovating across diverse tech sectors.
Prior to the CICC, Shuly held marketing and program development roles at various international NGOs focusing on economic development programs and educational initiatives. She studied International Relations at San Francisco State University and French Studies at Grenoble University in France. Shuly is invited to speak often on issues related to global entrepreneurship, cross-border partnerships and investments. She is a contributor to Women 2.0 magazine and serves on the Advisory Board of The C100 - A Canadian Entrepreneurs Network.
Kira Makagon, Executive Vice President of Innovation, RingCentral
Kira leads product strategy, product management, engineering, and operations. She has more than 20 years of product strategy, global technology management, and senior leadership experience. Prior to joining RingCentral, Makagon founded and served as the president of Red Aril, a pioneer in real-time audience and media optimization solutions that was acquired by iCrossing, a Hearst company. Prior to that, Makagon co-founded and held key executive positions in flagship online marketing and CRM companies, including Octane Software, which was acquired by E.piphany, and Scopus Technology, where she brought multiple generations of CRM products to market. Makagon holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley and a master’s degree in business administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Kirsten Wolberg, Vice President of Technology Business Operations, PayPal
Kirsten joined PayPal in June 2012 to lead the Technology Business Operations organization. Her team is responsible for all of the business operations functions for technology, including strategic planning and investment, as well as portfolio management and end-to-end program management for strategic enterprise initiatives.

Kirsten serves on advisory boards for companies with cloud-based delivery models including Socialware, CollabNet and New Charter University. Previously, she was Chief Information Officer at salesforce.com, where she was responsible for all elements of IT Service Delivery, including IT architecture, client portals (corporate website, online help and training, e-commerce), corporate systems, and end-user services. Before joining salesforce.com, Kirsten spent seven years at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., where she led Corporate Technology, offshore development, and technology education & leadership development. Prior to joining Schwab, she held a variety of product development, operations and consulting positions in the financial services industry.

Under Kirsten’s leadership, salesforce.com’s IT team was recognized for several industry awards, including InformationWeek 500, Most Innovative Business Technology Organizations (2009 #4 and 2010 #5), and was ranked #10 on Computerworld’s Best Places to Work in IT for 2010 and #8 in 2011. Kirsten was named one of the Most Influential Women in Business in the Bay Area, 2011 by the San Francisco Business Times.

For the past eight years, Kirsten has served in leadership roles with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and is the Corporate Walk Chair for the San Francisco Light the Night Walk. She is a local Board Member of Year-Up, an organization with a mission to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support to empower them to reach their potential. Kirsten holds a BS degree in Finance from the University of Southern California and an MBA degree from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern.

Daniel Frankenstein, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, JANVEST
Daniel spent nearly a decade at the Corporate Executive Board (NYSE: CEB) partnering with Fortune 1000 Chief Financial Officers in both an account management and advisory capacity. CEB provides C-Suite executives with best practice research, tools, templates, and benchmarking to the most common corporate business challenges. Daniel managed growing businesses for the company based in their Washington DC headquarters from 2004 to 2008, with clients in North and South America, as well as Australia. In 2009, Daniel led the Corporate Executive Board's market entry into Israel, welcoming a number of Israel’s largest and most successful companies into CEB's exclusive executive network.

As a partner at JANVEST, Daniel is responsible for investor development, investor communications, and providing strategic planning to the portfolio companies.
Daniel graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.S. in environmental economics and policy and a minor in business administration from the Haas School of Business.